About Those "Seeds of Democracy"

Well, this isn't, exactly, a Captain Renault moment;

Defector admits to WMD lies that triggered Iraq war

The defector who convinced the White House that Iraq had a secret biological weapons programme has admitted for the first time that he lied about his story, then watched in shock as it was used to justify the war.

Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, codenamed Curveball by German and American intelligence officials who dealt with his claims, has told the Guardian that he fabricated tales of mobile bioweapons trucks and clandestine factories in an attempt to bring down the Saddam Hussein regime, from which he had fled in 1995.

"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right," he said. "They gave me this chance. I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy."

Since Obama has chosen not to look in the rearview mirror, we can only hope that history will not be so kind, and place the Bush Grindhouse and their Legacy in the appropriate light - The President of Shitdom.

And the Flying Monkeys over at the Right Wing Freakshow still wants to headline it was those "planting seeds of Democracry" bullshit.



Bonus Riffs

John Cole: You Told Me you Loved Me, But I Don’t Understand

Adam Serwer: Conservatives keep hogging credit for Mideast protests

For The Want Of A Lie

It Will Never Be A Happy "Mission Accomplished" Day

"Son of A Dog!"

If Congress Does Take Up Impeachment, Here's A Piece of Evidence

Now, this was the Gridiron Club, so it's supposed, according to its' tradition, to be lively, jovial and have the ability to poke fun at oneself.

Humor and satire is, always, in the eyes and ears of the beholder.

So how are we to take this - The Commander Guy, singing off tune, a list of his failures, his Administration's failures, his corruption of the law (a line he sings about "Scooter escaping the prosecutor"), the corruption of the Office of the President?

As evidenced in the long, two-term presidency he heisted, it is a arrogant middle finger aimed at the media, the citizens, the world.

Here's the You Tube video of it (and it's choppy camera work, due to, primarily, media is banned from the event)



From Connie Singleton, who posted the video;

"President George W. Bush donned a cowboy hat and sang an early goodbye to Washington on Saturday night with a performance that lampooned White House journalists and Vice President Dick Cheney among others.

Bush surprised cabinet secretaries, diplomatic officials and journalists at the annual Gridiron dinner by taking the stage and giving the first public singing performance of his eight-year presidency, which ends in January 2009.

To the tune of country song "Green Green Grass of Home," Bush sang of longing for his ranch in Crawford, Texas and his dog Barney.

"And there to meet me is my mama and my papa, down the lane I look and here comes Barney, heart of gold and breath like honey; it's good to touch the brown brown grass of home."

Bush, singing only slightly off key, then turned to some of the long-term members of his team including Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"For there's Condi and Dick, my old compadre, talking to me about some oil rich Saudi, but soon I'll touch the brown brown grass of home."

"That old White house is behind me, I am once again carefree, don't have to worry 'bout a crisis in Pyongyang. Down the lane I look, Dick Cheney is strolling with documents he'd been withholding, it's good to touch the brown brown grass of home."

Bush told the audience, which erupted in applause and gave him a standing ovation, that they had witnessed "the first and final performance of George Bush and the Busharoos."

The Gridiron Club holds an annual dinner at which journalists put on songs and skits lampooning Democrats and Republicans alike.

Bonus Riffs

View Keith Olbermann's take on it

Greg Mitchell, on The Huffington Post with "Bush at Gridiron Dinner -- No Jokes About Missing WMD This Time!"

Mark Silva, on Swamp Politics with "Bush's Texan farewell: Brown, brown grass of home"